1. Background Field
Embodiments of the subject matter described herein are related generally to detecting and tracking a movable object in a series of captured images, such as a video stream, and more particularly to using the moveable object to interact with augmentations rendered in the display of the captured images.
2. Relevant Background
In augmented reality (AR) applications, a real world object is imaged and displayed on a screen along with computer generated information, such as an image, graphics, or textual information. The computer generated information is rendered over the real world object and may be used, e.g., to provide graphical or textual information about the real world object or for entertainment purposes, such as animations or gaming. The ability of a user to conventionally interact with rendered objects displayed in AR type applications, however, is limited and non-intuitive.
Current approaches for a user to interact with rendered objects typically use physical input elements on the device, such as buttons or a touch screen. Another approach to interaction between the user and a rendered augmentation is referred to as virtual buttons. A user may interact with virtual buttons by occluding a pre-designated area of the imaged scene with an object, such as a finger. The occlusion of the pre-designated area can be visually detected and in response an action may be performed. The resulting augmentation with virtual buttons, however is limited, as the user does not interact with the virtual button as if virtual button actually exists in the same space as the user.